Adding new dimensions to both the flavour and texture profiles by frying them really elevate the cakes to another level.
Quick Bite
Chunky, bite sized medallions chock full of ingredients. A ubiquitous food done better with generous ingredients and a high-quality recipe. It needs a little effort to be at its best, but if you like your local neighbourhood carrot cake, this will be loads better.
A staple of Dim Sum outlets everywhere, the humble radish cakes from Rumbling Bellies makes its appearance in neat, orderly lines of chunky medallions. Each box is stuffed full so you know you’re getting your money’s worth. Today, we ordered both the traditional radish version to see how it compares to what you’d get in a shop, and the Yam (Taro) version for variety.
The radish version is equal parts bouncy and soft, with a vegetably-sweet aftertaste. Mellow flavours with a hint of shrimp and pork make it easy to eat. These are the flavours you’d probably be familiar with if you order carrot cake at your late-night dim sum hangout. Peeling them in half shows each one is stuffed and speckled to the brim with a variety of fillings. The radishes haven’t been mashed completely smooth, so expect a few lumps here and there to add a little texture to every bite.
The Yam version is a little bit firmer, and has a little less of the caramelised vegetable sweetness, which is replaced by a stronger, earthier flavour from the yam filling. If you’ve had yam, either in other yam cakes or yam baskets, the flavour and texture is relatively similar. Both versions are cooked well, with no floury texture or flavour anywhere to be found.
Popping them into a pan is where the fun really starts. As recommended by the seller, you can put these in either an air fryer or in a hot pan for a couple minutes for a crisp bite. What was once a homogenously gelatinous cake benefits greatly from the addition of a crunchy, oily outer layer. Dip these into some garlic chilli (those little packets that come from McDonalds’ will do) and you’ll have something that tastes just a little bit more sinful.
The sweet, garlicky spiciness and the oily, crunchy crust adds a much-appreciated contrast to the mellower flavours of the cakes themselves. Radishes and yams have generally neutral flavours, but take on the flavours of what they’re eaten with very well. Adding new dimensions to both the flavour and texture profiles by frying them really elevate the cakes to another level. I realise there’s probably a reason why these aren’t fried out of the box, be it giving consumers additional choice, allowing them to keep for longer, so on and so forth, but these are definitely the way they should be eaten.
When I have a craving for late night dim sum in the future, it’ll be good to know I can toss a few of these into the frying pan and have something that’s miles better without having to leave the comfort of my own home.
